Letter: Options improving for Alzheimer’s treatment

Physicians should make patients aware of new developments in treatment.

Editor:

There is hope for prevention and reversal of early Alzheimer's disease, according to physicians such as Drs. Dale Bredesen, Mark Hyman and Mark Menolascino. Information about these emerging, potentially high-benefit, low-risk treatments should be available to those who need it now.

Maria Shriver has hosted an interview with Bredesen titled "Early Alzheimer's Prevention: 4 Things You Should Do Now." This interview can be found at mariashriver.com/blog/2016/09/alzheimers-prevention-dale-bredesen-maria-shriver/. She also has reported on Bredesen's work for the "Today" special series "Brain Power Today." Bredesen's program includes eating a Mediterranean diet high in vegetables and fats, cardio exercise, fasting after dinner and at least eight hours of sleep.

Hyman provides more information in "8 Steps to Reverse Memory Loss" (mariashriver.com/blog/2016/07/alzheimers-8-steps-reverse-memory-loss-mark-hyman/). It's not the full program, but offers a way to get started. This approach to healing is called functional medicine. Research is emerging with larger clinical trials in progress. Dr Bredesen recently reported he has hundreds of patients on the protocol with good success.

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Physicians need to learn more about this to help people who are interested in trying to prevent or reverse early Alzheimer's. For many, there is no time to wait for additional research if the risk is low and benefit potentially lifesaving.